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Tag: Bridge Briefs

Since Chris Christie’s Bridgegate scandal first broke, threatening his 2016 ambitions, he has been desperately trying to sweep it under the rug, and not just with public statements about its triviality.

A new report from the New Jersey Assembly’s special Bridgegate committee makes it clear that Christie and his office made every effort to stonewall the investigation. The report states plainly that Christie “repeatedly refused ” to comply with subpoenas, raising “continued and ongoing concerns about the completeness of [the Office Of Governor]’s productions.” The report goes on to say that “several key witnesses have declined to cooperate in the Committee’s work or were otherwise unavailable to provide testimony and other evidence.”

From major discrepancies between Christie’s story and the actual record, to aides deleting text message exchanges with Christie and lying about them under oath, the Bridgegate scandal is still replete with suspicious behavior and unanswered questions. If Christie and his office […]

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In July, one of Chris Christie’s top aides, Regina Egea, was called to testify before the legislature’s Bridgegate committee. At her hearing, Egea disclosed under oath that she had sent one unreturned text message to Chris Christie during the Port Authority’s testimony in December of 2013, and insisted that the message was “not at all substantive.” This, of course, was the testimony at which the Port Authority’s David Wildstein was eviscerated for his bogus “traffic study” explanation for the Fort Lee bridge closure.

Even at the time, Egea’s deleted text message story raised eyebrows and was rebuked by many as a clear attempt to hide something. Here’s how the Star-Ledger editorial board summarized her dubious narrative:

Last November, Egea — Christie’s top liaison to the Port Authority at the time — helped polish Bill Baroni’s traffic-study remarks to the Legislature’s Bridgegate committee. Baroni, you’ll remember, was Christie’s top staffer […]

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Bridgegate one has been a box office success thanks to a thrilling plot that has included lawsuits, lies, and retribution. The self-exoneration fees alone have already raked in over $3 million taxpayer dollars, and it’s still in theaters.

But before the original Bridgegate can even finish playing, its director and executive producer, Chris Christie, is already releasing a sequel.

That’s right. A second bridge scandal. This time, according to New York Times, the Governor is under investigation by the SEC for pressuring the Port Authority to improperly divert funds intended for a Hudson River tunnel project to the publicly owned Pulaski Skyway, against repeated warnings.

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As Governor Rick Scott delivers his 2014-2015 budget address, Floridians would do well to see Scott’s budget for what it is: A textbook case of election year pandering. While Scott’s budget plans included hundreds of millions of dollars in vague tax breaks for special interests and dramatic cuts to various revenue sources, the Tea Party governor has also discovered an election year infatuation with spending on Everglades reconstruction, child welfare, and teacher pay raises. Scott’s predilection for election year pandering is nothing new, but the extent of it in his latest budget proposal is staggering.

Scott Has A History Of Election Year Pandering (VIDEO). According to a news segment highlighting clips of Governor Rick Scott, Scott has a history of election-year pandering. In the clip, a FOX reporter states of Scott: “He’s the Tea Party Republican who slashed school funding then raised it as he prepared for re-election, after he tied teacher pay to performance, before giving out raises regardless of performance.”

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Cuccinelli Cosponsored Personhood Legislation That Would Criminalize Common Forms Of Birth Control As Well As Abortions Resulting From Rape Or Incest

In 2007 Cuccinelli Cosponsored A So-Called “Personhood” Bill. On January 10, 2007, Sen. Cuccinelli cosponsored legislation that would expand “the right to enjoyment of life” protected by Article 1, § 1 of the Virginia Constitution to “preborn human beings from the moment of fertilization.” The bill was rejected by a 43-53 vote in the Virginia House of Delegates on February 2, 2007. [HB 2797, 2/5/07]

Legislation That Defines A Fertilized Egg As A Human Being Would Ban All Abortions, Including Those Resulting From Rape And Incest, And Would Declare Common Forms Of Birth Control, Like The IUD, As Murder. According to New York Times, “A constitutional amendment facing voters in Mississippi on Nov. 8, and similar initiatives brewing in half a dozen other states including Florida and Ohio, would declare a fertilized human egg to be a legal person, effectively branding abortion and some forms of birth control as murder. […]The amendment in Mississippi would ban virtually all abortions, including those resulting from rape or incest. It would bar some birth control methods, including IUDs and ‘morning-after pills,’ which prevent fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. It would also outlaw the destruction of embryos created in laboratories.” [New York Times, 10/26/11]

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Tonight, Marco Rubio will smile, look into the camera and attempt to convince the country that a kinder, gentler Republican Party was born at some point over the past three months. The truth, however, is that on the same day he is set to address the nation, Rubio joined twenty-one of his male Republican colleagues in voting against the Violence Against Women Act. In fact, the young, fresh, exciting Rubio’s record on issues that impact the lives of women looks exactly like those of the tired, old Republicans who ruined their brand in the first place.

Americans rejected Republicans in 2012 due to their worn-out ideas that were bad for middle class families — women and men alike — not because of a dearth of hip-hop chatter on the campaign trail.

Take it from Tupac: it’s “time to heal our women, be real to our women.”

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Ryan Said Social Security Privatization Was Not Necessary, But He Preferred It Personally. According to a transcript of “The Charlie Rose Show,” Ryan was asked, “When you look at that Social Security for a moment, do you think it’s necessary to reform Social Security with private accounts?” Ryan responded, “No, it’s not necessary. I personally prefer it because, look at me, for example. I’m 40 years old. I’ll about a one percent return on my payroll taxes if Social Security could pay me my benefit, which, of course, it can’t… It’s not privatized. It’s managed by the government in safe index funds. It harnesses the power of compound interest so they grow their money at five percent or six percent per year instead of negative one percent. They get better benefits. It’s a nest egg they control that goes to their property.” [PBS, “The Charlie Rose Show,” 11/15/10]

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The Ryan Plan Would Reduce Education Funding By Over $115 Billion Over 10 Years, Undermining Critical Education Programs

Office Of Management And Budget: The Ryan Plan Would Cut Critical Education Programs By Reducing Department Of Education Funding By More Than $115 Billion Over 10 Years. According to a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee press release, “Ryan’s Plan Cuts Critical Education Programs. ‘The Department of Education would be cut by more than $115 billion over a decade. 9.6 million students would see their Pell Grants fall by more than $1000 in 2014, and, over the next decade, over one million students would lose support altogether. This would derail bipartisan education reforms and deeply undermine K-12 education and college opportunity […] Roughly two million slots in Head Start would be eliminated over the next decade — cutting 200,000 children from the program in 2014 alone.’ [OMB, 3/21/12]” [Targeted News Service, 3/25/12]

The Oregonian: The Ryan Plan Would Cut Investments In Education And Training By 53 Percent. “According to the Center for American Progress, the Ryan plan would ‘disinvest’ in education and training by 53 percent, diverting resources away from primary and adult education, career and technical training, community colleges, postsecondary education and student aid, at a time when our world educational status is already in perilous decline.” [The Oregonian, 5/2/11]

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Ryan Told Student He Should Work Three Jobs Instead Of Relying On Federal Student Loans

Philadelphia Inquirer: Ryan Told A Student That He Should Work Three Jobs In College Instead Of Relying On Grants. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial, “It should be remembered that Ryan, a frequent critic of Pell Grants, is the same congressman who suggested to a college student in October that instead of relying on grants he should do what Ryan did – work three jobs to pay for college. The congressman is to be congratulated on his work ethic, but if he believes it is a model for success in college for everyone, he is sorely mistaken.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial, 2/21/12]